You throw the ball. You catch the ball. You hit the ball…Of course, baseball fans know that this line from Bull Durham is far from true, part of the humor of the movie and a huge part of the fun of the game. This blog is a space to talk about baseball, being a baseball fan, all of those things that make the game fun and the Angels, because they make baseball fun for me.

Angels and A’s say it’s a Beautiful Day for a Ballgame. Let’s Play Two!

Of course, I would have dearly loved to amend Ernie Banks’ famous quote to let’s win two for this post but, alas, it wasn’t meant to be. Not in the double header and not even in the series. Ouch. Seriously, did you see Sunday’s score?! Ouch!

With the Angels entering the All Star Break on such a roll, we didn’t really want to break just then. And then coming back from the break to Peter Bourjos moving from day to day status to the DL until the 23rd and Vernon Wells too ill to start? Suffice to say, it was not a recipe for success. However, it was not a guaranteed disaster either, despite the eventual outcome. No, the Angels old “friends”, lack of RISP and difficulty getting the third out, played a large roll here too. Whatever is going on, the Angels need to get it together by Tuesday, because Texas is coming to town and we can’t lose any more series in our division right now or things just went from hard to really darned difficult in a hurry.

But back to that double header part. Single admission. Double header. On Saturday in Oakland. Who could resist the old fashioned allure of a draw like that? Not this girl. Saturday I was at the Coliseum bright and early with my husband and a good friend from college, ready to continue the Bay Area Baseball Extravaganza with 18 innings of baseball…which turned into 19 by the end. It was a great day at the ballpark indeed. The weather was mild, our seats were excellent and we were seated in good company with just enough red nearby to not feel like we were cheering alone.

First, a note about the A’s ballpark. I heard horror stories before I headed up here and I have to say that’s really not fair. No one is ever going to put the Coliseum on their list of top 10 ballparks. It’s a no frills, mixed use facility, but those are the only problems with it. The park was clean, the seats were comfortable, most seats appear to have a good view of the field and we bought black and tans for only $8.25. Suffice to say no frills was far from uncomfortable. The no frills part does mean there weren’t a lot of unique regional specialities in the food court but we enjoyed polish sausage rolls, corn dogs and nachos – hey, it was a doule header. Nine hours at the ballpark. Don’t judge me. ;) And even though the drawbacks of a mixed use facility are odd shaped seating and fields and still being able to see the lines from the previous week’s soccer match on the field, it’s still a baseball field, the most gorgeous shade of green in the world:

Mike Trout and Alexi Amariste. Angels at A's Double Header, July 16, 2011. Photo by This is a very simple game...(Seth)

Besides, in Oakland, instances of the wave were blessedly few and far between and no one, seriously no one, bounced stupid beach balls around the stadium. Angels fans, take note. Please! Also, I don’t know what the players think of them, but as a fan I really liked seeing the old fashioned, on the field, open bullpens and dugouts for a change:

The A's oldfashioned, wide-open on the field bullpen. Angels at A's Double Header, July 16, 2011. Photo by This is a very simple game...

The A's oldfashioned, wide opened dugout. Angels at A's Double Header, July 16, 2011. Photo by This is a very simple game...

I took advantage of those on the field bullpens when I bought our tickets – on the field, 12 rows behind the mound in the Angels’ bullpen. It was a lot of fun to see the bullpen warmups up close:

Jered Weaver warms up in the bulpen before game 1. Angels at A's Double Header, July 16, 2011. Photo by This is a very simple game...

Scott Downs prepares to take the mound. Angels at A's Double Header, July 16, 2011. Photo by This is a very simple game...

Jordan Walden warms up in the bullpen. Angels at A's Double Header, July 16, 2011. Photo by This is a very simple game...

It was also a lot of fun to have a good vantage for so many of the serious warm-ups, hanging out and general goofing around that goes on before a game. I’ve included more photos of that than game photos this time because, well, they’re fun and I don’t often have the opportunity:

Torii Hunter "helps" Jered Weaver warm up by providing a target before game 1. You can't see it here, but he was smiling and looking super confused over each pitch as if Jered had impossible to hit stuff. Very cute. And oh so very Torii. Angels at A's Double Header, July 16, 2011. Photo by This is a very simple game...

Vernon Wells, Mike Trout and Mark Trumbo share a joke before the games begin. Angels at A's Double Header, July 16, 2011. Photo by This is a very simple game...

Torii Hunter chats with Coco Crisp and Jemile Weeks before the games. Angels at A's Double Header, July 16, 2011. Photo by This is a very simple game...

Dan Haren and Joel Pineiro prepare for long toss before the games begin. Angels at A's Double Header, July 16, 2011. Photo by This is a very simple game...(Seth)

The bullpen says "Go get 'em Weave!" as the first game is ready to begin. Angels at A's Double Header, July 16, 2011. Photo by This is a very simple game...

Mark Trumbo and Mike Trout stretch before game 1. Angels at A's Double Header, July 16, 2011. Photo by This is a very simple game...

Ervin Satana and and Hank Conger warm up for game 2. Angels at A's Double Header, July 16, 2011. Photo by This is a very simple game...(Seth)

And, of course, the games weren’t without their fair share of derring do. Jered Weaver was, well, Jered Weaver. Ervin Santana was shakey but kept it together. The bullpen was great. We had great hits, notably from Erick Aybar, Mark Trumbo, Vernon Wells and – yay! -from Mike Trout. We made some great plays too. With a few less stranded runners in the second game, who knows?:

Jered Weaver prepares to pitch...or will it be a throw down? Mark Trumbo prepares for the latter as Jemile Weeks leads off first. Angels at A's Double Header, July 16, 2011. Photo by This is a very simple game...(Seth)

Mark Trumbo takes it himself as Jered Weaver nods in approval. Angels at A's Double Header, July 16, 2011. Photo by This is a very simple game...

Mike Trout makes a catch in center. Angels at A's Double Header, July 16, 2011. Photo by This is a very simple game...

Jeff Mathis move to catch a wilder change-up as Jemile Weeks takes a swing. Coco Crisp is on deck behind them. Weeks, Rickie Weeks' younger brother, looks like a fantastic A's call up from where I sit. He hits, he's clutch, he has a great glove and a good arm. Angels at A's Double Header, July 16, 2011. Photo by This is a very simple game...

Trevr Cahill pitches as Erick Aybar takes a league off third in the background. Angels at A's Double Header, July 16, 2011. Photo by This is a very simple game...

Trevor Cahill, Kurt Suzuki and the pitching coach have a meeting on the mound while Howie Kendrick and Alfredo Griffin look on from first base. Angels at A's Double Header, July 16, 2011. Photo by This is a very simple game...

If only the Angels had won the second game, it would have been a perfect day…and I’m sorry to say that as good a time as I had, I am not a good enough sport to have left the ballpark in perfectly high spirits after losing the second game. One great win, a near win and an amazing time at a double header should have been enough…but they weren’t quite, not for a perfectly gleeful mood. I still had a lot of fun, mind you. But it’s hard not to feel just a little but deflated even so. The A’s, or better yet the Angels, have to, have to, have to do this again next season. Have to! :)

* * * * *

Outside of baseball, coming up to the Bay Area and hanging out with friends from college has a lovely feel of both fun in the here and now and nostalgia to it. I was definitely ready to start the rest of my life and move on from college once it was over, but those were four very fun years. Getting the band back together, as it were, for a few nights of fun however does remind me of a few things I miss, like the ability to spend long periods of time just hanging out…and that wonderful sense of possibility you feel when you know you’re smart and willing to work your butt off and life has yet to hand you any real beat downs…well, that, and the ability to be fully functional after three hours of sleep and 1/3 or so of a 1/5 of something tasty. ;)

Next Post: the Bay Area Baseball Extravaganza concludes with a trip to AT&T Park for a Giants vs. Dodgers game.

Well, close is a relative statement Bluejaysnest. Dodgers stadium and the Big A are close, less than an hour apart. However, it’s a two hour + drive from L.A to San Diego to visit a Padres game and it’s an 8 hour drive from L.A. to San Francisco and Oakland. California is a big state. I realize that’s a lot closer than some folks have it, but it’s not like we can make a day trip from L.A. up to Oakland to watch the Angels play. Still it’s fun and you should totally visit CA, everyone should. :)

Great pics from some good ball games. Too bad they couldn’t win both, but still lucky you were able to be there. Glad you were also able to spend time with friends. Baseball has always about more than just the sport, but friends and family.
–Mike
‘Minoring In Baseball’

Catherine – Only if I have argued sufficiently to change your mind, LOL. It was a really fun trip! Multiuse stadiums are actually not that great, but if that is a stadium’s primary drawback, I don’t think it’s bad enough to make the stadum a terrible stadium. :) The open dugouts are really neat to see, but they’re more an old fashioned holdover from how ballparks used to be than a factor of the mixed use stadium.

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